Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Grass Valley
14,126
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Grass Valley
$48,850
Home Value
Blacksburg
$417,200
Grass Valley
$458,400
Rent
Blacksburg
$1,290
Grass Valley
$1,417
Crime Rate
Blacksburg
0.77
Grass Valley
5.40
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Grass Valley
119.1
Avg Temp
Blacksburg
N/A
Grass Valley
N/A
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Grass Valley
4.0%
How Similar Are Blacksburg & Grass Valley?
Grass Valley is Blacksburg's #2 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Blacksburg
45,288
Grass Valley
14,126
Blacksburg (45,288) is about 3.2x larger than Grass Valley (14,126).
Violent Crime
Blacksburg
0.77
Grass Valley
5.40
Grass Valley's violent crime is significantly higher than Blacksburg's — 86% difference.
Property Crime
Blacksburg
7.15
Grass Valley
21.46
Grass Valley's property crime is significantly higher than Blacksburg's — 67% difference.
Political Leaning
Blacksburg
47.4%
Grass Valley
42.1%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Blacksburg has a stronger Democratic lean (11% difference).
Unemployment
Blacksburg
4.2%
Grass Valley
4.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.
Median Income
Blacksburg
$48,070
Grass Valley
$48,850
Both cities have similar median income — just a 2% difference.
Home Values
Blacksburg
$417,200
Grass Valley
$458,400
Both cities have similar home values — just a 9% difference.
Education
Blacksburg
25.6%
Grass Valley
24.5%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
Blacksburg
77.7%
Grass Valley
84.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.
Cost of Living
Blacksburg
111.9
Grass Valley
119.1
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Blacksburg and Grass Valley share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Blacksburg
0
Grass Valley
Blacksburg leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Blacksburg leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBlacksburg has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,271 vs $1,813 in Grass Valley (30% lower). Blacksburg has a fair market rent (1br) of $993 vs $1,382 in Grass Valley (28% lower). Blacksburg scores 63.7 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 74.7 in Grass Valley.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Grass Valley leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGrass Valley has a vacancy rate of 6.7% compared to 18.1% in Blacksburg. Grass Valley has a single-family homes of 54.1% compared to 43.5% in Blacksburg. Grass Valley has a owner-occupied of 39.8% compared to 34.2% in Blacksburg.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBlacksburg: 20,907 vs Grass Valley: 5,843 for labor force. Grass Valley has a poverty rate of 20.7% compared to 42.8% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg has a work from home of 17.2% compared to 12.8% in Grass Valley.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Blacksburg leads
Source: FBI UCRBlacksburg has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.36 in Grass Valley. Blacksburg has a assault rate (per 1k) of 0.33 compared to 4.12 in Grass Valley. Blacksburg has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 0.77 compared to 5.40 in Grass Valley.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauGrass Valley has a high school diploma or higher of 41.1% compared to 30.0% in Blacksburg. Blacksburg has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.6% compared to 24.5% in Grass Valley.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBlacksburg has a population of 45,288, about 3.2x the size of Grass Valley (14,126). Blacksburg skews younger with a median age of 21.9 vs 49.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Blacksburg
Grass Valley
Healthcare — Blacksburg leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBlacksburg: 3.6 vs Grass Valley: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Blacksburg: 5 vs Grass Valley: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Blacksburg leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBlacksburg has a bicycle of 2.9% compared to 0.3% in Grass Valley. Blacksburg has a work from home of 17.2% compared to 12.8% in Grass Valley. Grass Valley has a drive alone of 71.8% compared to 53.9% in Blacksburg.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Blacksburg, VA
Compare Blacksburg against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.